Test 1: CT Enterography

As stated in a previous blog post, the first test on Colleen's list is a CT Enterography.  Today was the day of that test.

Scheduled for 10:00AM, a little bit of traffic and a bit of a wrong turn had us arriving a tad later than that.  Not that it ultimately matters; when it comes to going to the hospital for tests, it appears times are merely suggestions rather than absolutes.  The receptionist didn't even blink twice over our lateness; heck, I bet compared to some people, we were probably early.   

The test is relatively simple, but for a Gastroparesis sufferer, there are complications.   If you are having a bad flare of your symptoms, the last thing you want to do is drink a bunch of liquid leading into a test.     However, Colleen has been quite sick lately and was able to pull it off.     In my first post about this test, I shrugged off the fact that you don't have to drink the disgusting shake that goes with some of the other tests.  That is definitely the truth - however, you are forced to drink 3 bottles of something that looks like lemonade, but likely tastes nothing like it.   You have to drink 1/3 of each bottle within 5 minute timeframes.   In the end, that adds up to 45 minutes of slowly drinking this stuff, hoping you can actually hold it down (again, Colleen was able to do so!)

Just as an aside - think about that for a second.  If you are around Gastroparesis, you know how tough it is for a sufferer to often eat or even drink anything.    It just seems like a bit of a cruel joke to have to actually drink something that is extremely undesirable to get this test when you often cannot even think of drinking or eating something much more desirable.

Anyway, the 45 minutes of drinking this liquid cocktail leads to a test that barely takes 15 minutes.   Obviously, we do not yet know the results.

Don't worry if you or your loved one has never had this test ordered by your doctor - it isn't a typical Gastroparesis test, but your doctor may order it if they have any suspicion that something more is going on.  I don't think a CT Enterography can rule in or out Gastroparesis - but it can rule in or out other conditions.

The journey has only just begun - having this test out of the way is quite a relief.  Round two of testing doesn't occur for about a month or so.  Until then, I will continue to update her condition.